High schools and libraries have installed software systems that actively filter images and sites that are deemed obscene and/or inappropriate for students. Sometimes, these software systems also filter sites that offer academic value; paintings of nude figures and statues have been known to be blocked.

Should these software censoring programs be eliminated, changed or enhanced?

Not sure if there is a software already like this but if a student comes across an image or site deemed inappropriate a teacher or librarian should have access to a log in/password if they find the content relevant.

I'd say changed...its a shame that sites with aceademic value are filitered and I find North American attitudes to what is offensive or sexual is somewhat archaic but I do think some filtering should be age appropriate (for example graphic sex.) Conversely depicting everything nude or sexual as offensive or obscene is a bit ridiculous.

Not sure if there is a software already like this but if a student comes across an image or site deemed inappropriate a teacher or librarian should have access to a log in/password if they find the content relevant.

My high school in Missouri, USA had a version of this software installed. (10 years ago) For a school project, I tried to research the Sistine Chapel paintings and Leonardo DaVinci; many websites were blocked and said that the school district's central office had to unlock the sites. The librarian even admitted that the sites were legitimate museum websites.

Only the school district's superintendent could unlock the sites. He was the only one authorized by the school board.

They had this at my school, and a program to watch what your doing, couldn't use a computer without someone somewhere watching you and a little flashing eyeball shined in the corner. "Synchroneye"

Needless to say. Disabling it using the admin password and proxying became standard practice among the student body. Who makes a password snoopi123, it took them far longer than it rightfully should to figure out we knew it and change it. t3h lulz f4ct0r

We also used to take paint and draw large detailed penises. and wrote in rainbow colors go away.

Other classes wondered why the computer classes always got in trouble lmao but that was mostly from someone installing unreal tournament three on the computers, unplug your Ethernet cable and open a LAN and suddenly class is a free for all alien deathmatch. Good times.

All your doing is teaching us how to get around them. Why would I do my school work when it's so much more fun to piss off the higher-ups. trust students and more work will get done. classes where the teacher doesn't care if you text: no one texts. the class where you get your phone taken away? Suddenly everyones texting. I wonder why? Censoring anything that isn't porn is stupid. Our entire school system in general is terrible. Those censors don't stop anyone determined enough to get past them. It's more of a mild inconvenience. There's alot more with schools that need to be fixed and this isn't one of the problems.

This is something I'm split on. On the one hand, Internet filtering software, as established earlier, has blocked legitimate sites, which does require a student/patron to find a way to get the site unlocked. The problem is that "inappropriate content" is a subjective term. After all, if a person decides that a certain scientific theory is more "appropriate" than other theories that explain the same fact of life, then who would get to contradict them?

On the other hand, yes, there are students who abuse the privilege of the Internet. I wouldn't say that kids are looking up porn in a school library, but I can say that kids are playing games, going to social media, and generally not focusing on schoolwork. Filters can help with that.

In general, I'd have to say that filters probably do more harm than good. Some colleges even use filtering software. (When I brought a laptop to my school's wireless network and tried to download a podcast episode outside of class, I was blocked from the site. The reason was "sexual content;" the only sexual content was the fact that the host mentioned he was in a polyamorous triad once.

Why should they not put these softwares in? It's not YOUR computer, you're just allowed to borrow it. It's not your network and so forth, and usually the universities either set the blocked sites on their own list(I can acess Lush on my Uni network) or you can get certain sites removed. It's not your computer so it's not your god given right to choose what sites you should go to. Sorry, but you're not getting any sympathy from me on this one. If the programs are shite then sure, let them be changed, but I don't think you have the right to complain about them making sure you don't spend your time at school surfing for porn. "It's at that point you realise Lady Luck is actually a hooker, and you're fresh out of cash."

Why should they not put these softwares in? It's not YOUR computer, you're just allowed to borrow it. It's not your network and so forth, and usually the universities either set the blocked sites on their own list(I can acess Lush on my Uni network) or you can get certain sites removed.

Actually, the problem I had with the podcast was on my computer, which I was using to access my college's Wi-Fi, and I couldn't find anyone to talk to about it. I realize this is their network, but it is my system. I think part of the concern is the fact that some of these computers and networks are ours as taxpayers. (Public libraries, public universities, etc.) I can understand if a privately-funded entity wants to block their computers from accessing certain sites; that is their decision.

@beowulf69: It's not specifically a big deal, no; I can access any site I want from home (within reason). It's just the issue of when Internet filters block out information that isn't offensive or inappropriate; should it be happening?

Actually, the problem I had with the podcast was on my computer, which I was using to access my college's Wi-Fi, and I couldn't find anyone to talk to about it. I realize this is their network, but it is my system. I think part of the concern is the fact that some of these computers and networks are ours as taxpayers. (Public libraries, public universities, etc.) I can understand if a privately-funded entity wants to block their computers from accessing certain sites; that is their decision.?

First, the system thing; some network admins shut you down is because you might be having programs that are affiliated with malware or any other kind of non-happy programs. Basically, they do that to protect the rest of the computers that are part of the network. Or maybe you had a torrent client running and they shut you down because of that.

Which leads me to the second part; do you really think it's ok that your and other people's tax money are spent on people browsing for porn and downloading programs/music/movies etc. "It's at that point you realise Lady Luck is actually a hooker, and you're fresh out of cash."

Why would I do my school work when it's so much more fun to piss off the higher-ups. trust students and more work will get done. classes where the teacher doesn't care if you text: no one texts. the class where you get your phone taken away? Suddenly everyones texting. I wonder why? Censoring anything that isn't porn is stupid. Our entire school system in general is terrible. Those censors don't stop anyone determined enough to get past them. It's more of a mild inconvenience. There's alot more with schools that need to be fixed and this isn't one of the problems.

Obviously, your high school was way different from mine LOL. If we hadn't had internet restrictions, it would've been all porn/gross pics, all the time. There's no way that given free reign, the knuckleheads in my school (including me) would've studiously just done our work in return for free trust. Trusting 15-18yo kids in that situation seems stupid. And granted, this might be more about me and the school where I went than anything else, but just out of curiousity, were you in some sort of gifted/high-achievement program or something? Most of the fools I went to school with could barely operate their own email accounts, much less hack anything or set up a network.

Obviously, your high school was way different from mine LOL. If we hadn't had internet restrictions, it would've been all porn/gross pics, all the time. There's no way that given free reign, the knuckleheads in my school (including me) would've studiously just done our work in return for free trust. Trusting 15-18yo kids in that situation seems stupid. And granted, this might be more about me and the school where I went than anything else, but just out of curiousity, were you in some sort of gifted/high-achievement program or something? Most of the fools I went to school with could barely operate their own email accounts, much less hack anything or set up a network.

i was too worried about my drug stash being taken away to waste time on the internet looking for porn at my HS. rule #1: don't draw attention to yourself doing stupid stuff.

The monitoring systems must be in place for the sake of every user. Who needs to check out “porn” in a library?

Of course any automated system needs to be tweaked, so it would not filter as an example an ancient Greek statue. So, to me the program should be enhanced not eliminated ever, in any public place. It's not censorship.

I believe it should not even be discussed about eliminating it, just because it would not allow a specific (but OK) site, while properly filtering thousands of other.

Ouch it means that Lush cannot be in a library? Mmmm I’ll take aaall back.

Choose n Practice Happiness

Life is simple; we are what we eat and what we read. Talk is superfluous.

First, the system thing; some network admins shut you down is because you might be having programs that are affiliated with malware or any other kind of non-happy programs. Basically, they do that to protect the rest of the computers that are part of the network. Or maybe you had a torrent client running and they shut you down because of that.

Which leads me to the second part; do you really think it's ok that your and other people's tax money are spent on people browsing for porn and downloading programs/music/movies etc.

Actually, I didn't have any torrent clients at all on my computer, and none of my programs were associated with malware. (I'm not sure what you mean by "other non-happy programs," so I can't necessarily speak to that.) I do recognize that the admins of the network do what they can to protect other people's machines. The problem I have was that it posed no danger to anyone, at least no more than accessing more popular sites. It wasn't adult in any nature, other than the one mention of polyamory. I wasn't "shut down," so to speak; I was just blocked from a website that I don't think should've been blocked.

What people do with their Internet or public Internet isn't really any of my business. Sure, I don't think I would be happy with a library patron looking up porn in view of the kiddies, nor would I be happy with money going to build private rooms for porn perusal. But if a person wants to use their computer with a public network (and away from people who would be offended) to look up porn, I don't see any problem. It's something I don't think I'd do, but that's me. Hefty downloads would slow up Internet speeds for everyone else, however, and it's not polite to download a lot of large movies or other files. (Small ones are okay, but nothing really above 50MB or 100MB, depending on the available bandwidth.)

Obviously, your high school was way different from mine LOL. If we hadn't had internet restrictions, it would've been all porn/gross pics, all the time. There's no way that given free reign, the knuckleheads in my school (including me) would've studiously just done our work in return for free trust. Trusting 15-18yo kids in that situation seems stupid. And granted, this might be more about me and the school where I went than anything else, but just out of curiousity, were you in some sort of gifted/high-achievement program or something? Most of the fools I went to school with could barely operate their own email accounts, much less hack anything or set up a network.

No it wasn't gifted or anything just an elective class, but a few of us knew how to do certain things and over time we picked things up from each other, A few did porn but they usually got suspended for it, before the shop class was axed to save money we had someone stick a wrench into a laithe and another turned lights out while students were on band saws; they weren't in shop long. There's always a few idiots no matter what.

I personally don't think it's helpful. Blocks only encourage kids to think their way around them. Back when my family had AOL, porn was blocked, but not nudism and naturism sites, as I soon discovered. I guess it's good for them to learn to think creatively, though. That being said, I definitely understand why it's done. I don't want to take my kid to the library and see a patron watching a gang bang ten feet of way. I'm usually anti-censorship, but there aren't a lot of good reasons to need to watch porn at the library. I think in this instance, I support the use of software to block obscene material, but it should be done more intelligently so that artwork isn't affected.

People find ways to get around anything. Personally I think what Lush has is a God Send. At least you can decide for yourself with Big Brother stepping in. There is to much interference already in our daily lives. That is one reason I come to Lush.

In schools and library's there should be filters on the computers. They don't belong to you. The place I worked at one time I would clean up the computers and on one of them I turned it on and porn popped up and found sex magazines in the garbage can.

I don't think it would take too much to have a filter set to allow a recommended site for artistic Nude/educational subjects and also only allow it on certain computers set up in an age related work space.

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